SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (July 6, 2023) - UC Santa Barbara Softball Head Coach Jo Evans named Rachel Huggins as the program's newest assistant coach Thursday. With her new role, Huggins will oversee the Gaucho offense and take on recruiting coordinator duties.
"I am so fortunate to become part of the Gaucho family," said Huggins. I want to thank Coach Evans for this incredible opportunity and for trusting in me not just to continue, but to build upon this program's success. I am humbled by the opportunity to work alongside this veteran coaching staff at Santa Barbara. I cannot wait to get out there and get to work! I would also like to thank Tara Archibald for the opportunity to be a part of something truly special at EIU. Also, a thank you to the team for allowing me to be one of your coaches."
Huggins joins the Gauchos after serving on the staff at Eastern Illinois this past season. During her short stint with the Panthers, Huggins helped coach EIU to its first-ever NCAA Regional appearance while the team posted several offensive numbers that rank within the top ten of the program's history.
"I am excited to add Rachel Huggins to our staff," said Head Coach Jo Evans. "Rachel is a talented hitting coach, who has been coached and mentored by Chris Malveaux, one of the top hitting coaches in our game right now. She is passionate about hitting, always learning and growing, and is known for her work ethic and her ability to build relationships with her hitters. She is a worker, a curious learner, a grinder, and a team player. I'm excited for Rachel to take our offense to the next level."
Prior to Eastern Illinois Huggins was an assistant coach at Bradley for six seasons under former Bradley head coach and now current UC Santa Barbara assistant coach Amy Hayes. While at Bradley she helped develop the Braves into a nationally ranked unit each season and in 2019 set the school offense record for home runs in a single season while ranking 13th in slugging percentage and 22nd in scoring in the country.
The Mt. Zion native was a four-year student-athlete with the Braves, earning All-Missouri Valley Second Team Honors and All-Tournament Team recognition in 2016. As a student-athlete Huggins learned under one of the top hitting coaches, Chris Malveaux.
"Rachel Huggins is a future star in the world of softball," said Malveaux. "Very few have the character, work ethic, and compassion for her players as she does. She understands the importance of developing hitters into the best they can be. Rachel is also a tireless recruiter and knows what she sees when looking for talent. I'm excited to see what she brings to UC Santa Barbara as they continue to rise thru the conference ranks!"
